


The Final Journey of the Saturn V

by MrToddWilkins (orphan_account)



Series: The Gift of Apollo [6]
Category: For Better or For Worse (Comics), James Bond - All Media Types, Multi-Fandom, Space Explorers RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - James Bond Fusion, Best Friends, Exposition, Gen, Good Howard Bunt, I promise to keep the in-jokes to a minimum, Interactive Fiction, James Bond References, Mentor Emmett Seaborn, NASA, Screenplay/Script Format, Selenite ruins, Space Tourism, Technobabble, Vow renewal, Wedding Rehearsal, actually it’ll end with a DOUBLE wedding, because APRIL/GERALD 4EVAH, foobs r us, i will sail this ship till it sinks, it’ll end with a wedding, starts in media res, the advantages of being boy-crazy, toilet stall graffiti
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-28
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2020-10-29 13:07:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 2,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20797106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/MrToddWilkins
Summary: It’s 2007, and the world has changed. After nearly 40 years,the Saturn 5 is being retired. Its final mission:to advance US-Chinese cooperation in space. To seek out new opportunities to expand the reach of mankind. And......to solve a mystery?‘Also,how the heck did you end up on Mercury?”Essentially something to tide you guys over while I get around to writing Beyond Ares





	1. Epigraphs

Across the gulf of centuries the blind smile of Homer is turned upon our age. Along the echoing corridors of time, the roar of the rockets merges now with the creak of wind-taut rigging. For somewhere in the world today, still unconscious of his destiny, walks the boy who will be the first Odysseus of the Age of Space.

\- Arthur C.Clarke

_———————_

_Now you can watch them, risking all_

_In frail timbers on treacherous seas._

_By routes never charted, and only _

_Emboldened by opposing winds._

_Having explored so much of the Earth_

_From the Equator to the midnight Sun,_

_They recharge their purpose and are drawn_

_To reach the very portals of the Dawn._

\- _The Lusiads, _Luis de Camoęs

—————————

I think she's a typical 16 y/o girl: boy-crazy, image-conscious, sometimes thoughtless and sometimes capable of a glimmer of insight. That’s why people like her,because she’s relatable,because she’s who we all were (or are) as teens. If you think about it that way,she’s a mirror of the teenage condition. 

\- anonymous commenter on the ‘Oh No She Didn’t!’ blog entry for February 18,2007, regarding Becky McGuire 


	2. Prologue

**April 26,2007**

**11:42 am CST**

125:28:52 Seaborn:Houston,EV4.

125:28:56 Kilrain:Go ahead,EV4.

125:29:01 Seaborn:We’re just topping the ridge now,EV3 and I. We’re about 40 feet west of the beacon lander. We can see it up ahead. Over.

125:29:16 Kilrain:Sounds good,Emmett. Can we have helmet cam,please?

125:29:26 Seaborn:Enabling it right now.

(brief comm break)

125:29:47 Kilrain:We have a good picture now,Emmett. We can see the main dome straight ahead. The boys and girls in the backroom are cheering.

125:30:08 Seaborn:(chuckling) What about the press?

125:30:16 Kilrain:Say again?

125:30:21 Seaborn:Disregard.

(comm break)


	3. May 11,2006

Eddie Kirk:....Visually, Becky [McGuire] is an attractive high-schooler: shoulder-length wavy   
blonde hair, grey eyes,freckled cheeks, tall, not overweight. She is also rather smart,despite what you might think from her looks alone,although April [Patterson] will handle the brunt of the Junior Astronautics experiments assigned to this mission. April herself is attractive in a Renaissance way:brown hair with bangs and a ponytail,hazel eyes,and a proud walk.


	4. July 4,2006

Emmett Seaborn stood on the roof of the Vertical Assembly Building looking out towards Pad 39B. A massive Saturn 62 stood waiting with the new Skyport payload on the launch pad. A few miles away, on Pad 39D, a Space Shuttle stood on its launchpad. They would stay on board the new station for 35 days, a short mission designed to test the new stations systems.  
  
The PA system broadcast the countdown to those waiting on the roof. The voice of Kyle Herring counted down the launch.  
  
“T minus 2 minutes, 45 seconds and counting. The members of the launch team here in the control center monitoring a number of what we call red-line values. These are tolerances we don't want to go above and below in temperatures and pressures. They're standing by to call out any deviations from our plans. Two minutes, 30 seconds and counting; we're still Go on Skyport at this time. The vehicle is starting to pressurize as far as the propellant tanks are concerned, and all is still Go as we monitor our status board. Two minutes, 10 seconds and counting. We continue to build up pressure in both stages here at the last minute to prepare it for lift-off......T minus 1 minute, 35 seconds on the Skyport launch, placing America's newest space station in orbit.. All indications coming in to the control center at this time indicate we are Go. One minute, 25 seconds and counting. Our status board indicates the second stage completely pressurized. The eighty-second mark has now been passed. We'll go on full internal power at the 50-second mark in the countdown. Guidance system goes on internal at 17 seconds leading up to the ignition sequence at 8.9 seconds. We're approaching the 60-second mark.

Emmett could see the countdown clock from his vantage point on the roof. But from this angle, he could not see the count.  
  
“T minus 60 seconds and counting. We have passed T minus 60. 55 seconds and counting.” the voice continued.  
  
Emmett could feel his pulse quickening.   
  
“Twenty seconds and counting. T minus 15 seconds, guidance is internal. Twelve, 11, 10, 9, we have go for main engine start...”  
  
The F-1E engines began to fire, smoke began pouring out of the flame trenches, It was strangely quiet. And then the sound hit. A sound he did not hear so much as feel. His heart was literally vibrating in his chest.  
  
“4,3,2, 1, zero, SRB ignition and we have liftoff of Skyport,America's newest adventure in space!”  
  
The clouds from the exhaust spread faster as the Saturn 62 rose from the launch pad. If it had not been for the huge boosters on the side of the launch vehicle, the Saturn would not have moved. But they provided the needed lift to get the mission off the pad.  
  
Then sound from the SRB's hit those on the roof! Four F-1E engines were one thing, but two Shuttle-style SRBs were something else. Emmett swore he could feel the building vibrating, but it was actually his entire body that was trembling. It was so unbelievably powerful. He felt tears rolling down his cheeks at the sight of this powerful rocket clearing the tower. He was sure he wasn't the only one crying on this roof. Seasoned astronaut or engineer, no one got used to this. It was as if the gods were ripping the sky open.  
  
The Saturn arced out over the Atlantic Ocean en-route to its 51 degree orbital inclination,in line with the ISS.  
  
The sounds of the rocket slowly faded and the voice of Mike Curie from Mission Control in Houston could now be heard on the loudspeakers.  
  
“T plus 1 minute 30 seconds, everything is nominal. Four good F-1 engines and 2 good SRBs. We're through the region of maximum dynamic pressure now.”  
  
“Eight miles down range, 12 miles high, velocity 4,000 feet per second.“  
  
“T plus 2 minutes,standing by for SRBs separation. And we have SRBs separation, both boosters away. 85 seconds to staging.”  
  
The two fading exhaust trails of the solid rockets could be seen flying off in four different directions from the ground as the main booster kept flying. This extended first stage would burn longer than the older Saturn VI,almost three and a half minutes.  
  
“T plus 3 minutes 20 seconds” came the next announcement. “We are go for staging.”  
  
Ten seconds later, a big cloud could be seen around the vehicle as the first stage cut away and the second began to fire. Now nothing but a point of light, the MS-II stage continued to carry the station into orbit.  
  
With nothing left to see now, Emmett turned and started walking back to the roof access ladders. Just as he was about to duck below the roof, he looked back at the smoke trail left by the launch vehicle, as it was slowly being ripped apart by winds and drifting away. Soon, no trace of the launch would remain except for the steaming pad. 

He drove out onto NASA Parkway and headed west, passed the Visitor's Center and the road then turned into the NASA Causeway as it went over a drawbridge over the Indian River. Traffic was still heavy as everyone who came to watch the launch slowly left the area. He headed through Titusville on Highway 50 and passed over Interstate 95. He then turned into the parking lot of the Days Inn where he had his room. He could have gotten a hotel on Cocoa Beach or Merritt Island, but he wanted to be away from the public.


	5. Tracey’s Letter, July 2006

Hi everybody. So it’s been another relatively boring month here at JSC. I wanted to apologize for the abrasiveness in my last letter,which was due to my grandmother’s condition. She’s better now. They’re invoking an anti-pain charm in her thigh and giving her fluid shots. However,she’s protested against an artificial bone,as she feels she’s too old for that.

The big news has been the launch of Skyport, the first ever attempt at a “space dock” for various types of spacecraft. Right now,the space shuttle Columbia is docked at the station. We’re awaiting the arrival of the first permanent crew,who will launch at the end of the month on a Crew Transfer Vehicle. The CTV is a Frankenstein spacecraft: the crew rides in a two-piece command module comprised of the regular Gemini capsule and the Big Gemini crew compartment, propulsion and functionality is provided by an Apollo Block II Service Module with Agena Target Vehicle engines, a Launch Escape System derived from the Mercury LES is used during launch, and the spacecraft uses the Saturn 1B rocket, which was selected for being more than adequate for the spacecraft. It was invented for the old MOOP,or Manned Orbital Observational Platform. They’ve added a new pad at Launch Complex 37 to handle the whole thingamajig. 

Michael and all three kids say hi,as they’re preparing for my birthday in a few weeks. Speaking of that,better sign off.

With all my love,

Trace


	6. Tracey’s Letter, August 2006

Salutations,one and all!

As I write,I’m at Ellington Field,awaiting the arrival of my sister-in-law April,who’s in training alongside her friend for the Apollo-Feitian mission next spring. And who’s her friend,you might ask? None other than Ms.Rebecca McGuire! Aka the one,the only,_Rebecca_!

Yes,that’s right. The two have been friends since they were little girls.long before Becky became famous. April’s own measure of fame comes from her being Rebecca’s occasional backup singer. You might know her from the “Crazy Love” music video (she’s the girl checking out the flying carpets at 1:45). She’s also in the “Classic!” music video,as the girl with the mink coat.

April is a good choice to accompany Becky to the Moon. She’s both smart _and _beautiful (insert giggle here). I’ve known her pretty much all her life. Speaking of her,her plane’s arriving now. See you next month!

With all my love,

Tracey


	7. Emmett’s Diary, 10 August 2006

The very first space mission I ever covered for NTC was Sigma 7,in August 1962. I wasn’t exactly a young buck then,having finished school the week Kim Il Sung invaded South Korea,and I thought I knew enough of the ins and outs of journalism to make a go of it. Old Ned Tanner,the CEO,assigned me on the basis that I knew the technobabble they would be using at the Cape:one of my first real assignments had been following a Disney crew as they filmed Werner von Braun’s people at the Redstone Arsenal.

I arrived at the Cape two days before launch,on a ratty carpet owned by some local politician who apparently had nothing better to do than restore old carpets. Gus Grissom himself greeted me at the airport.

’Are you Mr.Seaborn,the journalist?’

’I am.’

’Welcome aboard.’

I met all the other astronauts at the Holiday Inn where they all hung out in those days,and I managed to interview each of them. The launch and mission went smoothly,weather be damned,and after I got back to New York Mr.Tanner made me his space correspondent. I worked for them for nearly 30 years,enjoying every last moment of it.

Now I return to Houston,for the first time since 2001. I’ve been assigned as a ‘spaceflight observer’ on this Apollo-Feitian mission. And I’m flying with a crew of noteworthies:

  * These two Canadian girls,April Patterson and Rebecca McGuire. A celebrity,and the friend of a celebrity. I won’t deny that Rebecca has a fair amount of musical talent. She’s been featured on their talent shows and on the Internet as well,so there must be something substantial to her. In the looks department,she resembles most any teenage girl of today. But for the life of me,I can’t figure out her friend. What kind of a name is April? If I didn’t know better,I’d swear her parents were hippies. And she tells me she wants to be a vet when she grows up.


	8. April’s Blog, 15-31 August 2006

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is in the style of April’s Real Blog. I will be commenting as certain characters. The comments will be in this style:
> 
> (Character name)
> 
> Comments

August 15:

  
So we completed our second week of training 2day. Dr.Pope (old dude) showed us some old films of lunar exploration and also we met the resident mage at JSC. His name’s Pete Bernstein and he’s nice for 75 (lol). He looks like a hippie.

I’m livin’ with the Crowells,a family who lives in a McMansion in Friendswood (a nearby town). I get their old bedroom from their daughter Jessamine,who attends school in Kentucky. It’s hot pink,just like my personality.

August 18:

We got 2 to see Mars rocks today. That is all.

August 20:

Since Becky insisted on it,lemme talk about guys. NASA seems to employ three types:

Hot guys. Most commonly working on various airplanes / carpets at Ellington Field.

Plain guys. Most common type of all.

Fugly guys. There are a few.

August 29:

Watched films of Saturn 5 and 6 launches w/Becky and Wendy.


	9. Appendix:an aesthetic




End file.
